Explore It

One Mile
At A Time

Route 66

Route 66 defined a remarkable era in our nation's history - and it lives on today in Illinois' Route 66's many roadside attractions, museums, restaurants - and the shining ribbon of blacktop we call The Mother Road.

Explore It

One Mile
At A Time

Route 66

Route 66 defined a remarkable era in our nation's history - and it lives on today in Illinois' Route 66's many roadside attractions, museums, restaurants - and the shining ribbon of blacktop we call The Mother Road.

This era encompasses the "Golden Age" of Route 66 where America's car culture took hold. Drive-in theaters, Drive-in restaurants, and motels were born and developed along the Mother Road during this period.

The concept of the "bypass" was first implemented on Route 66 during this era. Transportation infrastructure is well underway at this point in history as well and traveler expectations have risen, resulting in gas stations, motels, and formalized rest areas.

The "original" Route 66 alignment in Illinois signifies a turning point in transportation history as the emphasis of long distance travel shifts from a fixed rail system to a traveler driven navigation. Illinois was the first state to boast having Route 66 paved from end to end. It is during this time period that the Mother Road was most often referred to as " The Hard Road."

Discover a unique and charming marketplace with 80 small business shoppes under one roof. You will be pleasantly surprised at our fabulous lobby displays that change with the seasons and the holidays! Rusty Star Marketplace offers a wide variety of merchandise; antique, vintage, new, all displayed nicely in room settings, and for the ladies - jewelry, purses, clothing and accessories. Something for everyone!

Established in 1884, Maldaner's Restaurant and Catering is one of Springfield's finest restaurants. The Oldest Restaurant on Route 66 now offers the experience of literally "Eating on 66", with outside patio seating including at the parklet, where you get to dine on the actual Mother Road pavement in historic downtown Springfield! This is truly a unique 66 experience. If you have visited The Old State Capitol, Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana-Thomas House or the State Capitol, you can imagine the wonderful celebrations held at Maldaner's from the turn of the last century to the present day. Maldaner's has been located on Historic Route 66 since the road began!

Kelly's on Route 66 is now open and serving Pizza, Pasta, Sandwiches, Salads & Desserts! This family-friendly restaurant is located in the historic building that was home to Skelley's Service Station and Toby's Mesa Cafe. Featuring homemade pizza and homemade pies and cakes all made from scratch, as well as the occasional "blue plate special". Wine and beer are also served. Check out all the interesting artifacts that are part of the decor! Open 11am-8pm Tues-Thurs, 11am-10pm Fri-Sat and 11am-6pm Sundays.

The city of Springfield has opened a new Visitors Center on the first floor of the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office across from the Old State Capitol. Stop by to find all the information you need to help create your legendary experience in Springfield. While the upper floors remain closed to tours, visitors can tour an exhibit of the law office on the first floor as well as the U.S. Post Office, located in the building from 1841-1849.

In pure Route 66 fashion a newer Business, "Midwest Classics on 66" in Wilmington, Illinois on Route 66, Had an Incredible Event on Sunday 10-28-18. There was Great Food, Music from "Rosie and the Rivets," a Costume contest, the museum of classic cars, and the main event being Butch Patrick aka Eddie Munster of the TV series the Munsters. Butch Patrick even brought his Munster Coach and the Dragula coffin dragster. Lots of Photo Ops and autograph signing by Butch who is truly a Down to Earth Celebrity!

Along Route 66, near I-55's mile marker 37, is a land of giants and colossal pink elephants, giant ice cream cones and gingerbread gazebos, spaceships and other-worldly possessions. These collectibles sit outside the Pink Elephant Antique Mall. Since 2005, this yard art has enticed interstate travelers to stop for a closer look. Owner Dave Hammond traveled all over the country to salvage these oddities and bring them home to the front yard of I-55. Why? Because he likes to see people smile...

In Funk’s Grove, the Funk family cemetery held a secret for almost 150 years. A large grave holds the remains of about fifty unidentified Irishmen who probably died from cholera while laying the railroad tracks that run parallel to Route 66 and modern I-55. In 1847, the Alton & Sangamon Railroad (later named Chicago & Alton) began laying tracks from St. Louis to Springfield. By 1853, those tracks had reached Bloomington. Most of the men and boys who labored to make this road for the “iron horse” were from Ireland...

Travelers on Route 66 remind me of that timeless story of Dorothy and Toto as they set out on their Adventures to see what lied upon the horizon. How ironic that a little girl buried on a Route 66 Cemetery would inspire such a story. Dorothy Louise Gage the niece of L. Frank Baum who wrote the book, "The Wonderful Wizard of OZ" passed away before she was 6 months old. Her death would inspire him to name his main character in a book he was writing Dorothy. The impact of his books and later a Movie would inspire generations to come.

An exhibition of photographs tracing John F. Kennedy’s private life and public trajectory opens at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum on Feb. 15. Some are iconic images of Camelot, while many have rarely been seen before. “American Visionary: John F. Kennedy’s Life and Times” shows Kennedy as a joyful boy playing in the ocean and a troubled president working in the Oval Office, as a public figure adored by crowds and a father alone with his baby daughter. Jacqueline Kennedy is there, too – as a happy bride, an elegant first lady and a heartbroken widow.

The Litchfield Pickers Market will return, for its fifth year, every second Sunday of the month
from April to October, with the exact 2019 market dates being: April 14, May 12, June 9, July14,
August 11, September 8, and October 13. Mark your calendar NOW and plan to visit downtown
Litchfield, Illinois between 9 AM to 3 PM. This year is going to be a great one!

The 13th Annual Red Carpet Corridor Festival traverses 13 Communities from Joliet to Towanda along a 90-mile stretch of Old Route 66 that collectively celebrates the Mother Road. Each town puts together its own events for that Saturday, making for a great shopping and sight-seeing experience. Gather the family and take a trip down memory lane. Towns include Joliet, Elwood, Wilmington, Braidwood, Godley, Braceville, Gardner, Dwight, Odell, Pontiac, Chenoa, Lexington and Towanda.

Route 66 enthusiasts and car club members will be motoring on the Illinois Route 66 Blue Carpet Corridor Saturday-Sunday, May 18-19, to celebrate the famous “Main Street of America” on the Blue Carpet Corridor Coalition's fourth annual festival weekend. From Chatham south to Collinsville on several historic alignments of Route 66, fourteen communities will be highlighting the Miners, Mobsters, and Mother Road history of this section of Route 66.

Dwight's premiere annual event is a great time for the whole family. Enjoy pie baking and pie eating contests, hypnosis/magician, Jr. Karaoke contest, Live Country Music, Live Dixieland Band, All Star Jam Band, Hairbanger's Ball, car show, tractor show and hours of fun!

Over 1,000 cool cars and 80,000 spectators will roll into the heart of Springfield's historic downtown September 27-29 for a weekend of family fun in the sun and non-stop live music and entertainment! Come celebrate the golden age of Route 66...the cars, the music, the food, the friends - all brought together along Illinois Route 66.

Mark your calendars! The fifth annual Route 66 Miles of Possibility conference will be held in Normal, Illinois, from October 17-20, 2019. The theme is the circus, as Bloomington-Normal was home to famous aerial acts, who sometimes traveled Route 66 with the circus. There will be other Route 66 sessions, and a car show on Sunday.

An exhibition of photographs tracing John F. Kennedy’s private life and public trajectory opens at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum on Feb. 15. Some are iconic images of Camelot, while many have rarely been seen before. “American Visionary: John F. Kennedy’s Life and Times” shows Kennedy as a joyful boy playing in the ocean and a troubled president working in the Oval Office, as a public figure adored by crowds and a father alone with his baby daughter. Jacqueline Kennedy is there, too – as a happy bride, an elegant first lady and a heartbroken widow.

The Litchfield Pickers Market will return, for its fifth year, every second Sunday of the month
from April to October, with the exact 2019 market dates being: April 14, May 12, June 9, July14,
August 11, September 8, and October 13. Mark your calendar NOW and plan to visit downtown
Litchfield, Illinois between 9 AM to 3 PM. This year is going to be a great one!

The 13th Annual Red Carpet Corridor Festival traverses 13 Communities from Joliet to Towanda along a 90-mile stretch of Old Route 66 that collectively celebrates the Mother Road. Each town puts together its own events for that Saturday, making for a great shopping and sight-seeing experience. Gather the family and take a trip down memory lane. Towns include Joliet, Elwood, Wilmington, Braidwood, Godley, Braceville, Gardner, Dwight, Odell, Pontiac, Chenoa, Lexington and Towanda.

Route 66 enthusiasts and car club members will be motoring on the Illinois Route 66 Blue Carpet Corridor Saturday-Sunday, May 18-19, to celebrate the famous “Main Street of America” on the Blue Carpet Corridor Coalition's fourth annual festival weekend. From Chatham south to Collinsville on several historic alignments of Route 66, fourteen communities will be highlighting the Miners, Mobsters, and Mother Road history of this section of Route 66.

Dwight's premiere annual event is a great time for the whole family. Enjoy pie baking and pie eating contests, hypnosis/magician, Jr. Karaoke contest, Live Country Music, Live Dixieland Band, All Star Jam Band, Hairbanger's Ball, car show, tractor show and hours of fun!

Over 1,000 cool cars and 80,000 spectators will roll into the heart of Springfield's historic downtown September 27-29 for a weekend of family fun in the sun and non-stop live music and entertainment! Come celebrate the golden age of Route 66...the cars, the music, the food, the friends - all brought together along Illinois Route 66.

Mark your calendars! The fifth annual Route 66 Miles of Possibility conference will be held in Normal, Illinois, from October 17-20, 2019. The theme is the circus, as Bloomington-Normal was home to famous aerial acts, who sometimes traveled Route 66 with the circus. There will be other Route 66 sessions, and a car show on Sunday.

The City of Springfield’s Convention and Visitors Bureau announced today (12/14/18) the city is
the new owner of the iconic Route 66 Sonrise Doughnut sign. In partnership with Ace Sign Company
who assisted the city in navigating the bidding process, the Convention & Visitors Bureau purchased the
complete sign to retain its historic value for $22,000.

Earlier this year, during the winter months, Abe’s Carmelcorn Shoppe, located at 117 N. Kickapoo Street in Historic Downtown Lincoln, Illinois, underwent a major renovation to the interior of the building. The result was stunning – new flooring and lighting accented by classic wood fixtures. In addition, the floor space was increased by 500 square feet to accommodate the unique shopping experience that features a cutting-edge selection of merchandise designed to make memories of a lifetime.

The Parkview Food & Pub, better known as the Parkview Inn, in Bloomington, Illinois, is on a mission to reopen after a it caught fire awhile back and virtually destroyed the historic establishment. The Parkview sits on a 1930 to 1940 alignment of Route 66 at 1003 S. Morris Ave. The Parkview has been around since 1928, and is Bloomington's oldest restaurant that has remained on the same site. This means it is only a few years newer than the very beginnings of Route 66.

Adam Lovell, of Reedsville Wisconsin, has been named the new Executive Director at the McLean County Museum of History. Lovell has over 18 years’ experience in museum operations. Most recently, he spent two years as Assistant Director and Curator at the Rahr-West Art Museum in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and eight years as Curator of Collections at the Detroit Historical Society in Detroit Michigan.

Last April, at Lake Lou Yaeger in Litchfield, IL, a female Bald Eagle was injured, in
what was viewed as a territorial fight with a male Bald Eagle. While the male Bald
Eagle did not survive, thankfully the female Bald Eagle was able to be transported
to the Treehouse Wildlife Rescue Center in Dow, IL to recover from her injuries.
The female bald Eagle has made a full recovery and will be released back to her
native territory at Lake Lou Yaeger. The release is scheduled for Saturday, January
20th and the public
is invited to attend.